Gaughan: 5th District Democratic Committee Filing Fees Force Him Out of Nominating Process

One of the candidates vying for the chance to compete against Republican Tom Garrett this fall is complaining that he's being left out.

At a media conference Friday afternoon, Lawrence Gaughan claimed the 5th District Democratic Committee is forcing him out of this year's nominating process.

He says an unprecedented $10,000 filing fee is part of the issue. "When I ran in 2014, the filing fee was $500. I don't know why they're doing a $5,000 plus the $5,000 for the van. I mean that's essentially makes it impossible for an ordinary person to get involved and run for office."

Suzanne Long, the chair of the committee, says the fee has been in place since 2016 and all candidates received the same rules to follow.

While Gaughan will no longer be on the Democratic nomination ticket, he can run as an independent.

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